Del Rio International Airport is two miles northwest of Del Rio, in Val Verde County, Texas, United States. It is used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

, and, being near

Laughlin Air Force Base Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located east of Del Rio, Texas. Overview Laughlin AFB, the largest Aviator, pilot training base in the US Air Force, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Educa ...

, it is often used by

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students during training flights.

Facilities

The airport covers 268 acres (108 ha) at an elevation of 1,002 feet (305 m). Its single runway, 13/31, is asphalt. In 2010 the airport had 15,357 aircraft operations, an average of 42 per day: 83%

, 9% airline, and 8%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. History The concept of air taxis existed as early as the 1910s. This concept goes back as early as 1917 with Glenn Curtiss’ prototype, the auto-plane. Furthermor ...

. 42 aircraft were then based at the airport: 79% single-engine, 12% multi-engine, and 9%

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Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

records say the airport had 16,028 passenger boardings (enplanements) in

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2008, 13,436 in 2009, and 13,180 in 2010. The

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. With the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of September 3, 1982, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was required to develop a ...

for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''primary commercial service'' airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). The airport is owned by the City of Del Rio. A seven-member airport advisory board, appointed by the City Council, monitors the development and operations of the airport. The terminal has counter space to accommodate two airlines, a large waiting area post security with restrooms and vending machines, and one baggage carousel. Boarding is conducted via a mobile covered ramp. The terminal has two positions for aircraft to park at, and a third used for exclusively customs screening. The terminal was last served by twice-daily

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

service operated by regional partner

SkyWest Airlines SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah. SkyWest operates and maintains aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by four partner Mainline (air travel), mainline airlines. The comp ...

on their 65-seat Canadair CRJ 700 aircraft, which ended April 3, 2023. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Air Patrol Unit has a station at the airport. The city is working on a expansion of the runway, when completed will have a total of . The runway expansion is due to Laughlin AFB future arrivals of the new Boeing T-7A Red Hawks training jets which will also utilize the airport for training.

FedEx FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...

has a shipping center on the north boundary of the airport. They serve Del Rio with two Cessna 208 Caravans with daily service to San Antonio. Ameriflight operates

Beechcraft 1900 The Beechcraft 1900 is a U.S made twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring ...

from a ramp position with daily service to San Antonio International Airport on behalf of

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Airlines and destinations

Cargo service

Charter air cargo companies provide adhoc service between Del Rio and points in North America for automotive part manufacturers in Ciudad Acuña and Piedras Negras, Mexico. The following airlines and their respective aircraft fly routes to Del Rio : Ameristar ( DC-9), USA Jet ( MD-83/88 and Falcon 20), IFL Group ( Boeing 727-200 and Falcon 20), Royal Air Freight ( Falcon 20 and Learjet 35), Pak West ( Swearinger Metroliner), Berry Aviation ( Embraer 120), and Kalitta Charters ii ( Boeing 737-300 and DC-9).

Future service

The City of Del Rio applied, in 2023, to the Department of Transportation for a Small Community Air Service Development Grant. The grant includes a letter of support from the carrier Skywest Charters-a spinoff of

-which would operate 30-seat CRJ-200 aircraft under FAA Part 135 operations. The letter states the carrier is interested in providing service between Del Rio and Houston

George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Initially named Houston Intercontinental Airport upon its opening in 1969, it was renamed in ho ...

, and is signed by Brad Link, Skywest Charters director of operations.

Former service

For four or five years starting in 1949 Trans-Texas Airways

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

s flew from Del Rio to El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, and other Texas cities, but they used Val Verde County Airport east of town. That airport closed in 1959–60. The first airline at the present airport was Wild Goose Airlines in 1964, on their flights between Eagle Pass and San Antonio. Davies/Quastler says they flew Aztecs. Between May and November 2017 Texas Sky Airlines, operated by Contour Aviation, scheduled a daily

British Aerospace Jetstream The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin turboprop airliner, with a Cabin pressurisation, pressurised fuselage, developed as the ''Jetstream 31'' from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manuf ...

between Del Rio International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. From June 7, 2012, until April 2013 ExpressJet (

United Express United Express is a regional airline network that supports United Airlines operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing six percent of United's total capacity for 2024, United Express ...

) Embraer ERJ-145s served Del Rio, flying nonstop to Houston Intercontinental Airport. The route previously used turboprops. Continental Connection had served Del Rio before the merger of

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

with United Airlines. The Continental Connection service nonstop to Houston Intercontinental was flown by

Colgan Air Colgan Air was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 1965 until 2012, when it became a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The initial headquarters of Colgan Air was in Manassas, Virginia, Manassas, Virginia until 2010, and ...

Saab 340s.February 2007 OAG Worldwide Flight Guide Other commuter airlines at Del Rio included Lone Star Airlines (which also operated as Aspen Mountain Air), Texas National Airlines, Alamo Commuter Airlines, Amistad Airlines, and Wise Airlines.

References

External links

Airport page
at City of Del Rio website
Pico Aviation
the

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...

(FBO)
Aerial image as of February 2002
from

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The National Map ''The National Map'' is a Collaboration, collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the eff ...

'' * {{Authority control Airports in Texas Buildings and structures in Val Verde County, Texas Transportation in Val Verde County, Texas 1937 establishments in Texas Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Texas USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields Airports established in 1937